Friday-Saturday Aug. 30/31.....THE TORNADO TASMANIAN TOUR!!! We got up bright and early Friday morning to get our flight to Tasmania.  Since the flights were so crazy-cheap, we decided that we could not pass up the opportunity to spend a very short time in Tasmania….just for a few choice geocaches.  The flight was short and smooth, and as we broke through the clouds on approach to the airport, we were greeted with the view of Seven Mile Beach.  It looked like we were arriving at some place tropical…very beautiful  with white sand and vivid blue water as far as you could see. We picked up our (very) little rental car, oriented ourselves, got Marsha organized, and headed off.  Our goal was to get the “furthest south” geocaches and a few Earthcaches.  Tasmania was different from what we’ve seen in the rest of Australia:  steep hills, very green, and really “relaxed.”  The weather co-operated for the first part of the day, and the drive South was full of stunning ocean vistas from sandy beaches to rocky cliffs.  The water changed to every colour of blue.  Nearly every corner we came around, we wanted to take photos, but somehow just could not capture the grandeur of it all.  The first cache we were searching for took us on a short walk on a trail through the eucalyptus/gumtree/wattle forest, right along the ocean.  At the end of the trail, we were overlooking the surf crashing in, with (what we think were) seals frolicking in the current.  Just breathtaking. Path to a....cache! At this point we had a decision to make…..be satisfied, or continue 30 km further south to “the end of the road.”   We knew the road was not paved, but when would we EVER shy away from a challenge??  Turned out to be a forestry road:  full of potholes (that were too big for our little vehicle!), very winding and hilly, and pretty muddy.  Several times we were tempted to turn around, but we did not!!  It was quite slow, so 30 km took quite a while.  However, of course it was worth it.  At the end, in Cockle Creek, there was a display of old  logging equipment with a newspaper reproduction telling about a family of three sisters (one was only 16) who fully ran the logging operation for the family in the late 1800s.  One final km down the road, and we were met with a beautiful Southern Right whale (a statue).   We did search for a cache here, and found it….afterwards we wondered about the warning in the cache description that indicated there were dangerous animals in the area.  I guess we didn’t really want to know what that might mean, but now that we’re done, we might try and find out!   End of the Road at Cockle Creek We started back towards Hobart, hoping to get there before dark.  Just at this time, the rain started!  The road got a little slippery, but Pam got us through the ride safely once again.  That car was a mess, though.  Again, we enjoyed the scenery:  beaches, seaside villages, the vegetation.  We went through an area lush with ferns.  We saw some ferns that were about 20 feet high, and about as wide, that looked like pine branches.  Also saw a fair bit of wildlife, with a bandicoot   jumping right in front of us.  Lots of roadkill of various possum- like animals, and Tasmanian Devils Marsha got us to Hobart, but screwed up and took us to the wrong hotel.  A few turns through the downtown streets, and we finally got there.  The place was a bit different, but seemed to be quite a gathering place.  There was a pool hall, a casino area with slots, a lounge, and a bar!  This was Friday night, so there was some loud music that we recognized from high- school days.  No  problem, though, they did tone it down by midnight.  We walked around the town for a bit, grabbed supper, and walked some more.  The buildings were beautiful and so well preserved.  Law offices from 1870s, Royal indoor tennis courts from 1860s,  a  “club” from the same time…..all still functioning. Saturday, we got another early start.  Breakfast was included with the hotel room, so we were able to head straight out.  A sunny day!!  We headed a bit east this time, then went as far south as we could on the Tasman Peninsula and through Tasman National Park.  Today was all about geology, and we decided to head straight down to the tip past Port Arthur, and then take our time coming back.  It was a bit less densely forested and hilly along this route.  Still, the green hills dotted with sheep and cattle were beautiful.  We made a stop at Port Arthur….one of the World Heritage sites.  We did not go through it, but looked at the information displays.  It was a huge penitentiary area of the 1800s, with a separate prison, an asylum, a church, and officers’ quarters.  We continued on to the Remarkable Cave as our southern stop.  Here, the sea has carved channels through the rock layers, forming an inland cave.  The water still rushes in from the ocean.  We walked down a lot of stairs that took us into the cave.    Next we drove up to the Tasman Blowhole, Tasman Arch and Devil’s Kitchen.  We walked around the arch and out to the Kitchen….a “Grand Canyon”-like erosion with walls hundreds of feet high.  http://www.discovertasmania.com/activities__and__attractions/wilderness_areas/national_parks_and_reserves/tasman_national_park Tasman Arch Devil's Kitchen...hundreds of feet down All of these attractions were close to a small seaside village called Doo Town.  Most homes had a carved sign displayed on their property with “Doo” in the name.  Some favourites were:  Doo Come Inn, Just Doo It, Much A-Doo, Yabba Dabba Doo, Didgeri-Doo, and Doo F*@& All.  Very  entertaining.   http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Doo_Town,_Tasmania Our last stop in the park was at the Tessellated Pavement.  Here, the ocean has worn the rock away in a grid formation, making it look like stamped concrete.  We walked along the shore here, and just took in the beautiful rugged coastline. Natural Tressalated pavement ....along with kangaroos, wombats and tasmanian devils Then we headed back towards the airport, caching along the way, arriving a couple of hours  early.  Good thing, as security was tight here in some ways, and so lax in others.  My full water bottle and epi-pen were not a problem, and shoes did not have to be removed.  However, we both got pulled aside for having batteries in our backpacks….they had to be taped together with the + ends covered.  Next, Pam had to take her bag apart because “something” was at the bottom of the bag….turned out to be tweezers that she had kept in there all through Europe and this trip with no problem…..now they’re gone!!! We waited in the departure lounge and Pam needed a glass of wine after all that driving.  A glass of Tasmanian white, and a bag of chips…….$17.00!!!! Although the trip was short and full, we both decided that this is definitely a place to come back to….for at least a month!  Marsha, Marsha, Marsha! what have you done! Cheers!